A member of the Union Knights varsity girls basketball team pictured last Friday night in Sumner while sporting the team’s new warmups made in honor of teammate Kate Craft who passed away on Sunday, Dec. 10. Craft’s jersey number both this season and last was 50. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

SUMNER – The final score last Friday night in Sumner mattered less than usual to many of those in attendance for the girls varsity basketball game between the Sumner-Fredericksburg Cougars and the Union Knights – rather, it was the tremendous life of one of their own that was top of mind as the two communities worked to pay tribute to Kate Craft.

Craft, a 16-year-old junior at Union High School and member of the basketball team, passed away on Sunday, Dec. 10 after being diagnosed with glioblastoma – a type of brain cancer – more than two years ago.

Sporting green ribbons in their hair – Craft’s favorite color – and new warm-ups featuring Craft’s jersey number (50), the Union girls took to the Sumner-Fred gym floor that evening amid a sea of gray as fans of both teams turned out wearing the color as requested by the host school district as part of the ‘Gray for Glioblastoma’ movement.

“Kate, a Union student-athlete, passed away recently due to her long battle with glioblastoma brain cancer. In honor of Kate, we would like our fans and crowd to wear gray as a representation of her fight against brain cancer. Please join us as we show our support to her family and community,” the Sumner-Fredericksburg Community School District wrote on Facebook ahead of the game.

Prior to the girls’ tipoff, a moment of silence was observed for Craft, while at halftime during both the girls and boys games, a half court shot contest was held. For every basket made, two local businesses donated $20 each to a fund for Craft’s family which includes her parents Matt and Sarah Craft as well as her three younger sisters, Claudia, Natalie, and Madeline, all of La Porte City.

The visitor section of the Sumner-Fredericksburg High School gym on Friday, Dec. 15 during the Cougars v. Knights girls basketball game. Fans from both teams wore ‘Gray for Glioblastoma’ in honor of Union athlete, Kate Craft who passed away on Dec. 10. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

In addition, the Sumner-Fredericksburg Post Prom Committee held a ‘pass the bucket’ donation drive for the Craft family.

Union’s girls head coach Robert Driscol publicly accepted the donations on behalf of the family.

While Craft was unable to compete on the basketball court this season with her team, she harbored a deep love of the sport from an early age, according to her obituary.

“Kate loved basketball, cats, drawing, playing trumpet, the Houston Rockets and the Iowa State Cyclones,” Craft’s obituary reads. “Kate was a fierce competitor, a sports enthusiast, and dreamed of becoming a sports journalist. Her favorite places were basketball courts, Clear Lake, Florida and her family farms.”

“Unfazed by the challenges given to her during the last two and a half years of her life, she traveled to see Hamilton on Broadway, sit front row at a live show of Saturday Night Live, visit the Basketball Hall of Fame, see the Golden Gate Bridge and the Pacific Ocean, watch the Iowa State women’s basketball team win a Big 12 Championship in Kansas City, learn the Dream Shake from Hakeem Olajuwon and sit courtside at WNBA and NBA games.”

Members of the Union Knights girls basketball team ready themselves for the rebound during last Friday’s road game against Sumner-Fredericksburg. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

In addition to basketball, Craft was an honor roll student, and a member of the swimming, soccer, and track and field teams.

Last season, Craft played 15 games for Union.

Last Friday night, both Union and Sumner-Fredericksburg did all they could to play their game for Kate Craft.

In lieu of flowers, memorials for Kate Craft may be directed to the family, while condolences may be left at https://www.lockefuneralservices.com.

Union at Sumner-Fredericksburg

While Union (2-5) ultimately lost 46-17 to Sumner-Fredericksburg (3-4) on Friday, the Knights did keep pace through the first quarter but in the end proved no match for the Cougars’ rebound game.

On offense, senior Reagan Sorensen led the team with eight points (two 3-pointers), while sophomore Reagan Glenn led the defense with four rebounds and two steals.

The Knights recorded 16 turnovers to Sumner-Fredericksburg’s six.

This week the Knights were scheduled to face No. 15 Jesup in a road game on Monday, followed by East Marshall (3-6) on Tuesday at home before taking on No. 10 Aplington-Parkersburg (7-1) on Thursday on the road.